Turbine systems are widely utilized in fields such as power generation. For example, a conventional gas turbine system includes a compressor section, a combustor section, and at least one turbine section. The compressor section is configured to compress air as the air flows through the compressor section. The compressed air is then flowed from the compressor section to the combustor section, where it is mixed with fuel and combusted, generating a hot gas flow. The hot gas flow is provided to the turbine section, which utilizes the hot gas flow by extracting energy from it to power the compressor, an electrical generator, and/or other various loads.
Various sections of a turbine system, such as the compressor section and/or the turbine section, may include casings surrounding various internal components. For example, one or more sections may include an inner shell surrounding the various components and an outer shell spaced from and surrounding the inner shell. Linear pipes, such as tube seals, extend in a generally radial direction between the outer shell and inner shell. These pipes provide cooling flows from external to the shells, such as from the compressor section, to the components inside the shells.
However, the linear pipes that are currently utilized in many turbine systems have a variety of disadvantages. For example, many known pipes do not allow for movement between the respective inner and outer shells. When one of the shells moves with respect to the other due to, for example, differing rates of thermal growth, the pipes may resist this movement and leak or become damaged. Some known pipes allow for such movement through the use of spherical tube ends that are precision fitted into receptacles. However, such tube ends and receptacles are easily damaged and leakage prone, require wear coatings, and may be prohibitively expensive.
Thus, an improved piping assembly and method for connecting an inner and outer shell in a turbine system are desired in the art. Specifically, a piping assembly and a method that allow for movement of the inner and outer shells with respect to one another would be advantageous.